Melting the Ice
by doublejinx17
Summary: Byakuya meets the newly appointed 3rd seat of his division...and all hell breaks loose. After all, it's a girl! Byakuya3rd seat.
1. A Meeting

Disclaimer: ...gosh I can't even spell the character's names! Of course I don't own them! I just felt sorry for Byakuya...

* * *

**A long time ago, but not too long ago  
**

"Captain Kuchiki Byakuya!" There was the soft sound of feet landing on the balcony outside. "Captain Kuchiki Byakuya! I am sent to remind you that the newly appointed seat is set to meet you this morning in one hour! Is this notice agreeable to you, my lord...sir?"

Byakuya flinched. Damn communications division, always sending some low-life to shout messages at him.

"...Yes, tell him to meet me in the main hall."

He couldn't care less about the new seat, much less most of the rest of his division. He knew that the respect given to him was because of his noble status - the disdain in his vice-captain's eyes told him as much. But as long as you kept the respect, he figured, it didn't matter how you got it.

Byakuya looked back at the shrine, where a small picture of a woman sat framed. The room, although large, was otherwise empty except for a set of two sleeping pads. He knelt on one; the other hadn't been touched for a long time.

There wasn't much sun that day. Good. He liked it that way; bright days made him tense up, as if the light was exposing something of him to the world. _That face doesn't inspire any pity, you know_, she always joked, laughing at his scowling face on sunny days. _Hmmph! I can make that face too, you know!_ And she would walk around with pouty lips and crossed arms for hours, until finally the corners of his mouth gave in to a faint smile. If he was the snow, she was the Spring. That was her for sure - always knowing how to melt his cold heart.

_Is it too dark for you...Hisana?_

He pulled open the doors of the room a little and laid back down, turning toward the empty, empty hollow in the sheets next to him. It was a bit stupid, to pretend after all this time, but sometimes, if he closed his eyes hard enough, he could feel her lying next to him, and he was less lonely.

* * *

"Hello, cap-tainnnnn..." 

One hour later, Kuchiki Byakuya was once again kneeling, this time in the main hall. And once again, he was subjected to the downright abasement of his name.

"By-a-KU-ya...kun!" sang the new 3rd seat of the 6th division, as she sauntered into the room and gave a saucy salute to the very surprised and offended noble seated on the floor in front of her. Behind her, vice-captain Abarai Renji's jaw dropped straight to the floor.

"K-kouyori-san..."

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A/N: I don't read the manga too carefully (although I'm up to date at 180 right now!) and I'm going back to read the old ones up to where it is in the anime (since apparently there is a lot that isn't explained in the show), so I couldn't give less if there are already named seats under Byakuya! And forgive my lack of knowledge on correct Japanese grammar. x.x; Hell, it's all AU. I wrote this at 2 AM, so it's shorter than the other chapters will be. Please crit! 


	2. A Memory

A/N: Sorry if it seems really miserable now. Hopefully the story will get funnier/happier But for now I think Bya wouldn't fall for a girl so easily lol! I haven't been reading the manga either. :(

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His first impression of her was that she was like Ichimaru Gin; her smile - or smirk, more like - was most prominent and exuded nothing less than mischief and deviousness. It gave him a feeling of uneasiness, but unlike with Gin, Byakuya sensed she was more likely to tease than to have any true harmful intents. He took in her features with a glance - tiny feet, a flat chest, and a round face, although not enough to really be considered fat. Her brown eyes, however, were large and luminous and set wide apart. 

"K-kouyori-san..." came Renji's voice, knocking him back to his senses. The girl cocked her head as if considering something, and then dropped to her knees.

"Kouyori Aiko. Pleased to meet you." she said, nodding in what he could only assume was a casual bow of deference. He grimaced.

"Are you mocking me?" Byakuya threatened.

"What could you possibly mean?" Kouyori said sweetly, putting emphasis on _possibly_.

"Your tone of voice, your lack of propriety, your - "

He hesitated at the sudden scent of sakura blossoms on her. _Hisana_. For some reason the smell always triggered strong memories of her death. No, who was he kidding? After their marriage, he had planted a cherry sapling outside of their bedroom window. When it became sickly, Hisana refused his offer to plant a new one. Somehow through the years it managed to survive despite its weak appearance and eventually became a symbol of hope to her when she became sick herself. _Can you imagine if that damn tree outlived me?_ she joked constantly. That was like Hisana - a bit of devilry and humor. And beauty both inward and out. She held enough hope for the both of them, but it didn't stop the onslaught of the illness. To make matters worse, the sakura tree began to deteriorate. He could see her happiness falter a little more each day as he held her frail body up to the window. _Do you think it's dying?_ she said with worry etched across her face. It wasn't until she was really sick that Byakuya wondered how much of her cheery personality had been forced. Hisana took to long periods of silence that he hopelessly tried to break.

_Would you like something to eat?_ he asked.

_It's not going to be a fair fight if it dies so soon_, Hisana laughed, and it took him a second to realize she was talking about the tree again.

--

"Let's leave him in peace, Ai." Renji suggested, gently nudging the new 3rd seat towards the door.

His captain was staring off into some unknown space out the window. She shot him a questioning look as she followed him.

"He gets moody sometimes," he said simply, and shrugged.

--

Byakuya remembered running back to her. She was sitting propped up where he had left her earlier that morning. Her eyes were blank and glazed.

"Hisana..." he couldn't stop his voice from shaking. He knelt next to her body and put her tiny hands in his. One of her hands slipped out of his grasp.

"Look," she whispered. His gaze followed her finger to the window. _Look._ His heart skipped a beat.

"Hisana..."

Her head turned towards his voice for the first time in weeks. "At least I beat it," she said with a weak laugh.

"No...Hisana...please..." he pleaded desperately. His lips tried to form the words he meant to say. _Please_. The room was filled with the scent of the dead sakura blossoms. _Please_ _don't leave me_.


End file.
